Shoe for athletes.



Patented May 11. 1909.

nunoRRls PETERS 00., wnsmmz-rau. n, c.

UNITED STATES GEORGE L. PIERCE,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOE FOR ATHLETES.

Application filed. June 30,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. Pmnon, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Brooklyn, in the-county of Kings, in the cityand State of New York, have in vented certain new and usefulImprovements in Shoes for Athletes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to certain improve ments in shoes, and moreparticularly in that class of shoes which are designed. for use byathletes and others, and the object of the invention is to provide ashoe having a novel and improved formation of sole whereby increasedsecurity of footing is assured to the wearer without in any waydetracting from the desirable flexibility of the shank of the shoe.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction,and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the improvedshoe, whereby certain important advantages are attained and the deviceis rendered simpler, cheaper and otherwise better adapted and moreconvenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings which serve to illustrate myinvention-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe embodying myimprovements; Fig. 2 is an underside view of the sole and heel portionsof the shoe; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken transversely through thelower portion of the shoe and Fig. 4 is a view showing in elevation anddetached, a textile reinforce for the sole of'the shoe.

In these views A represents the upper and B the sole of the improvedshoe, while C represents the shank and D the heel thereof. In thedrawings I have shown the sole, shank and heel as integrally connected,and the heel as of the kind commonly known as a spring heel.. The soleportion B is shown as formed from vulcanized rubber and as secured bystitching as seen at s to a welt a carried by the upper. As hereinshown, the sole portion B of the improved shoe is provided with sockets1 open at the under surface thereof and adapted to operate by suction ina well known way to afford increased security of footing to the wearer,and the heel portion D, which is also formed from vulcanized rubber andintegrally connected with Specification of Letters Patent.

1.906. Serial No. 324,245.

Patented May 11, 1909.

the shank portion 0, is also provided with similar sockets 1' for asimilar purpose.

There is embedded in the vulcanized rubber sole portion of the improvedshoe a reinforce E formed from woven or textile material or fabric whichis inserted and held within the mass of rubber constituting the soleportion by vulcanization and as herein shown said woven or textilereinforce is provided with apertures suitably located to correspond withthe sockets r in the completed sole, whereby it will be seen that saidsole is stiffened and reinforced between the sockets r, so as to preventit from being too flexible and to insure against the sockets beingclosed by pressure during use of the shoe.

The rubber of the sole portion is imperforate at its upper part so thatthe sockets 1* are closed by a thin elastic wall a of rubber, and in themanufacture of the sole portion the apertures of the reinforce E aremade of diameters greater than the diameters of the sockets 1' and saidreinforce is located within the sole portion at a level below the topsof said sockets 1" so that in the completed sole ortion the sides ofeach of said sockets r are ined with a continuous wall or ply b ofrubher which is integrally connected at its upper part to the top wallof the socket and is e tended down inside of the corresponding apertureof the reinforce, the woven reinforce being arranged to encircle saidside walls of the sockets and being extended in the rubber sole portionbetween said sockets in such a manner as to efiectively strengthen thoseparts of said sole portion which intervene between said sockets withoutin any way detracting from the resilience or elasticity of the walls ofsaid sockets.

In this way each socket r is provided with continuous and imperforateside and top walls a and Z) and is only open at its bottom at theunderside of the sole, the liability of leakage of air through the wallsof the socket being thereby eliminated and the danger of separation ofthe reinforce E from the overlying and underlying thickness of rubber ofthe sole such as would be present were the edges of the textilereinforce exposed at the sides of the sockets, being entirely avoided.

As herein shown, the heel portion D of the improved shoe is likewiseprovided with an embedded textile reinforce E as clearly shown in Fig.1, and this embedded reinforce may have its'a'pertures arrangedsimilarly to those of the sole reinforce E above described. I have not,therefore, illustrated the arrangement of said heel reinforce E indetail herein.

As shown on the drawings, the sole reinforce E is terminated at theforward end of the shank portion 0 of the sole, and the heel reinforce E;is likewise terminated at the forward end of the heel portion D of theshoe, whereby it will be seen that the forward sole ortion B wherein thesole reinforce E is embedded, and said heel portion D are givenincreased thickness and stiffness, while the shankportion C is made ofreduced thickness,

- and is not reinforced, whereby it Will be seen that said shanl'rportion C is possessed of the greatest-possible flexibility so as not tointerfe're with "the movements of the wearer while the fso le 'ai1d heelportions, being reinforced, as above described, are stiffened in such amannera's to adapt 'theinto best resist wear and preterit the root.

The she'e provided with-the improved sole constructed according to myinvention is of an extremely simple, durable and comparati'velyinexpensive nature and is particularly well adapted for use by reason ofthe flexibilitfv bfits shank portion, which permits the greatestpossible freedom of movement and ofthe increased security of footingafforded to the wearer resulting from the novel arrangement of thereinforcing means.

said reinforce being terminated at the forward end of the shank portion,and said shank portion being unreinforced to afford the maximumflexibility.

2. A shoe having sole and shank portions integrally formed from rubber,theso le por tion having a textile reinforceembedded in it, and beingprovided with sockets open at its under surface and extended up throughsaid reinforce and closed at their upperends, said reinforce beingterminated at the forward end of the shank portion, and said shankportion being unreinforcedand of less thickness than the sole ;portionto afford the maximum flexibility.

In Witness whereof Ihave hereunto signed my name this 29th day of June'1906,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GECRGE L. PIERCE.

Witnesses:

HENRY GONNETT, H. G. Hose.

